Sarasota Real Estate Sales Reach their highest level since 2005
Posted by Andree Huffine on
In the 2nd Quarter of 2012, the Sarasota real estate market achieved the highest level of sales in seven years. There were 2,604 home and condo sales from April through June. The 864 closed transactions in June alone represent the second highest number of home and condominium sales since September 2005.  The only higher point was in April of this year when sales were slightly higher at 886. As expected with the migration north of our snow birders, the number of pending sales (properties undercontract but not yet closed) dropped just slightly in June after four months in a row when pending sales topped 1,000.
The available inventory of homes and condos on the market dropped again to another 10-year low of 3,816. The June inventory of homes for sale…
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Sarasota has long been known as “Florida's Cultural Coast,” and downtown Sarasota epitomizes that honor. It is home to a professional symphony, ballet, opera, jazz clubs, nearly a dozen theaters and 30 art galleries. Sarasota was recently ranked #1 on American Style Magazine’s annual list of the “25 Best Arts Destinations.”   But downtown Sarasota is also much more than an arts and cultural gem.
Once again, Sarasota, Florida has earned top honors by being named the “Best Place to Retire in the Country”. This time the honor was given by the TopRetirements.com website.  John Brady, founder of that website pointed out that “the best retirement cities and towns in America have good weather, access to healthcare, low property taxes, and a certain “wow” factor. Sarasota has all of those qualities and more.
Here's an interesting statistic, I found recently. There are 78 million baby boomers in the U.S., and demographic professionals predict that one-sixth of them will spend part of their lives in Florida. That's almost 13 million new residents in Florida by 2023. Those future residents will be looking for the most attractive places in Florida to live. The Sarasota - Manatee County area will be high on their list of "most attractive places".
I've heard it time and again this year from buyers I've worked with. “…we’ve been watching the market for a couple of years, afraid to jump in. This year, we saw that there was less available to choose from. We realized if we wanted to get a Sarasota area home we should do it now, before we can’t find one”…. Here's the most recent update from the Sarasota Association of Realtors, published July 12.
Once again, Sarasota draws top kudos. For the second year in a row, AmericanStyle Magazine ranked Sarasota 5th on it's list of the Top 25 Small Cities for Art. Bradenton ranked 10th. It's no wonder - Sarasota’s rich arts scene rivals some of the biggest urban centers in the country. Home to dozens of performing arts venues, opera, theater, and ballet companies, there is never a shortage of visual and performing arts entertainment. Check out the Sarasota Arts Scene on my website to learn more about Sarasota's Arts.
If you’re looking for an upscale and secure gated-entrance golf course community, Lakewood Ranch Country Club in Lakewood Ranch, Florida should be on your list of places to consider buying a home. Residents of the Country Club golf course community enjoy a luxurious, yet comfortable, lifestyle in a community of ten neighborhoods. There are single-family homes spanning a wide range of sizes with prices ranging from the low $300's to over $2 million. There are also condos and town homes available for those who are looking for a maintenance-free housing option.
While the media devotes a lot of space and time to highlighting the negative aspects of today's real estate market, there are actually many unique opportunities that exist for savvy buyers in the Sarasota market. This may be your once-in-a-lifetime chance to purchase a first or second luxury home at prices we haven't seen in many years.Â